Just one needle saves a life following Stanford physician’s trip to Madagascar

Stanford emergency physician S.V. Mahadevan, right, had no idea when he visited Madagascar recently that he would help save a newborn’s life. The chair of emergency medicine at Stanford, Mahadevan traveled to the island country in April to teach essential medical procedures to health care workers there, using simple equipment he provided. Those same health care workers put that training into practice in July to rescue a 2-month-old with a life-threatening infection.

“The best part is that while I was thousands of miles away, in some small way I had a chance to impact a baby’s life, which is fantastic,” Mahadevan said. “That is why we do global health. It’s a way of sharing the expertise we’ve gained over the years with our partners in other countries.”